SERVICES

Adapting to new technologies such as having an online presence was the way how small businesses in Australia coped with the hard times.

More than half of Australian mid-market companies are not properly prepared for persistent fluctuations in business conditions, according to the inaugural Commonwealth Bank Future Business Index.

The ongoing labor dispute of Qantas with unions continues to take its toll on the air carrier's operations as it canceled 16 flights on Monday and ground five planes.

Qantas is expecting another day of turbulence as it canceled 18 flights and delayed 32 more due to a schedule engineers strike.

Qantas canceled 14 domestic flights and delayed another 30 trips on Thursday morning as the baggage handlers and ground crew walked off their jobs for two hours at 7 a.m.

The 99 Cents Only stores in the U.S., which became a phenomenon in the retail industry, have been acquired reportedly for approximately $1.6 billion by a private equity company from Los Angeles.

Australian consumers are becoming more optimistic on the general outcome of the economy, but the most important aspect of spending is still something that they are holding back.

Australia Post registered a net profit of $241 million for the year that ended June, up compared to the $90 million net profit for the same period last year.

Australia's business and other industry groups are now on the quandary as to the passage of the carbon tax legislation in Congress now waiting for the final stamp of approval in the Senate.

Unlike other post offices which refuse to adapt to information technology, Australia Post is instead riding on the online shopping trend to boost its income.

Authorities and the family of a 64-year-old Mosman Park man who went missing while swimming at Cottesloe Beach on Monday feared he was attacked by a great white pointer based on the tear on his bathers found by police divers.

Although the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association (ALAEA) cancelled on Monday its planned four-hour strikes, Qantas's labor problems with unions are far from over.

AFTERNOON REPORT (4.30pm AEDT)The local share market posted its fourth win in a row today, kick-starting the trading week on a positive note. Investor sentiment remained buoyant after German and French leaders agreed to do all that is necessary to secure the recapitalisation of European banks. Share markets around the Asian region were generally positive, despite ratings agency Fitch cutting the credit ratings of Italy and Spain. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) gained 37.3pts or 0.9pct to 42...

Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) Australia has invested $35 million in a new bottle production facility in Adelaide on Monday.

The Australian sharemarket is surprisingly holding up very well despite a fall in U.S shares on Friday. The All Ordinaries index (XAO) is up 1.1 pct or 46.4 pts to 4271.4, adding to the 3.8 pct gains recorded last week.

While battling strikes from ground crew, baggage handlers, engineers and pilots, Qantas also signed on a contract on Thursday for the largest single commercial jet order in Australian aviation history worth $9.5 billion.

Engineers and maintenance workers of Qantas based in Sydney are set to walk out of their jobs starting at 3pm as part of a growing labor disagreement with management.

The share market rally continued today, with local stocks gaining for the third session in a row. Investor optimism was boosted by strong gains in the US and Europe overnight after the European Central Bank announced new measures to provide cash strapped banks with liquidity.

The Transport Workers Union (TWU) canceled the two-hour strike scheduled on Friday as a "significant gesture of good faith." However, their move apparently failed to appease both the passengers and Qantas because flights had already been canceled and delayed.

Australian shares leapt the most in almost three years as investor sentiment improved on renewed optimism a solution is near at hand for the Eurozone debt crisis. The local market opened more than one per cent stronger after Wall Street surged for its second straight day, then eased slightly after midday but soared in the last hour of trading. By the close, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index had reached its highest level since September 21, rising 143.4 points, or 3.65 per cent to 4,069.9 and the br...

The furor created by the alleged death threats received by Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce may possibly be shelved aside as the air carrier faces the bigger issue of another round of baggage handler and ground crew strike on Friday.

The services sector stayed in positive territory in September with the latest seasonally adjusted Australian Industry Group/Commonwealth Bank Australian Performance of Services Index (Australian PSI®) down a slight 1.8 points to 50.3 indicating activity continued to expand in the month.

Police have hinted that the ongoing labor row at Qantas as the possible motive behind the death threats that the air carrier's chief executive, Alan Joyce, received at his residence.

The Australian share market closed 0.6 per cent lower, with investors starting to hope that the central bank would cut interest rates for the first time in a year next month. The local bourse opened almost one per cent down on a weak lead from Wall Street overnight. By the close on Tuesday both major local indices had made back some of their early losses, with the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index down 24.9 points, or 0.64 per cent, at 3,872.1 and the broader All Ordinaries index dropped 25.1 points, o...

Australian retailers on Tuesday expressed concerns with the Reserve Bank of Australia’s cash rate decision to maintain the cash rate at 4.75%.

MIDDAY REPORT (12.30pm AEDT)The Australian sharemarket is continuing to fall after a tough start to the new trading week yesterday. The ASX 200 index (XJO) is down 0.4 pct or 17.1 pts to 3879.9 while the broader All Ordinaries index (XAO) is 0.5 pct or 18.9 pts lower to 3941.8.

In a world-first Australian experiment, Coca-Cola is replacing the "Coke" branding with one of 150 of Australia's most popular personal first names for its next summer marketing campaign.

Manufacturers experienced another tough month in September with the Australian Industry Group - PwC Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index (Australian PMI®) down 1.0 point to 42.3, indicating a further weakening in the sector.

Confidence in Australia’s accommodation industry has risen after ABS statistics for the June quarter of 2011 showed "pleasantly surprising" results.